WC-130J Weatherbird

Any Storm, Anywhere

The world’s most powerful meteorologist, the WC-130J is configured with palletized weather instrumentation for penetration of tropical disturbances and storms, hurricanes and winter storms to obtain data on movement, size and intensity. There are only minor differences between the Hurricane Hunter aircraft and any other C-130J. Operated by U. S. Air Force Reserve Command, the WC-130J usually penetrates hurricanes at an altitude of approximately 10,000 feet to collect meteorological data in the vortex, or eye, of the storm. The data collected by the WC-130J makes the advance warning of hurricanes possible and increases the accuracy of hurricane predictions and warnings by as much as 30 percent.